A Citrus Twist is a quick and easy cocktail garnish idea that will wow your friends. Truth is, it couldn’t be easier to make one! Follow this tutorial for creating a simple drink topper in just minutes.
I’ll be honest. I don’t always garnish my cocktails. I enjoy making drinks at home, but I can be a little lazy.
But I do like to garnish cocktails when I am sharing drinks with friends. And while my laziness doesn’t just disappear, this Citrus Spiral is so super simple to make!
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Why a Citrus Spiral
Why a citrus spiral? Why not?
If your cocktail has any citrus in it as an ingredient, you have what you need to make a simple Citrus Twist cocktail garnish.
It’s easy for beginners to make and requires only a small knife.
It’s a great way to add a finishing touch to any cocktail recipe. But it also adds a fun detail for lemonade (like this Blueberry Lemonade) and other non-alcoholic drinks.
Ingredients
To create a citrus spiral, you need just a few things.
I used orange to make this garnish, but you can also do this with any citrus like lime, lemon and even grapefruit.
A small pairing knife makes it easy but any knife will work.
And I did this on a small bar cutting board but you totally could do this on a larger cutting board or on the counter. (I know people say that dulls your knife, but sometimes getting out a cutting board feels like a big commitment…)
How to Make a Citrus Twist
- Make a thin slice of citrus. And on one side, cut through the peel with a pairing knife as shown above.
I think a finished citrus curl looks best when it’s thin, but we’re all working with different knives and skill level. Just about anything will work here.
2. Cut the peel away from the fruit. As you can see from above, mine is not perfect. And it still works in the end.
Try to cut off about half of the white membrane. It doesn’t taste good (it’s so bitter!) but it helps the peel to hold its shape.
You will get the hang of this over time.
Because I was photographing this myself I couldn’t get an image of me actually curling the citrus peel.
3. Once you remove the peel from the fruit, just pick it up and grab an end in each hand. Then twist the citrus into a spiral shape.
You can also use something, like a straw, to wrap the citrus around to get the shape.
Garish Your Cocktail
Place the finished citrus spiral on the edge of the glass or rest it on top of the ice. It may or may not sink into a drink served with no ice, like a Blood Orange Martini, but it will still look awesome!
Top tip
I think organic citrus works best for a cocktail garnish that will end up sitting in a drink. You can wash it with a fruit and veggie wash and remove as much junk from the outside as possible. And there shouldn’t be any invisible chemicals.
The longer the piece of peel, the longer the citrus twist and the easier it will spiral. A slice from the center of the fruit is the easiest way to get that.
You can also use a citrus peeler for cocktails to get a longer bit of peel. But I think those take a little bit more time to get good with and have wasted a lot of peel trying to learn.
Variations
If you find the idea of making a citrus twist garnish too difficult, you can easily just drop a peel of citrus fruit into the drink that you’ve made with a vegetable peeler.
Or use a wedge or wheel of fresh fruit.
Dehydrated citrus always looks great in a cocktail as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make a citrus twist ahead of time to a certain extent. You can prep the peel by removing it from the fruit. They will start to dry out but it shouldn’t be too bad if you keep them in an air-tight container in the fridge for a few days. You can try to curl it, but it might be hard to store unless you lay them in a single layer. And even then, they may need to be re-spiraled before adding to a drink.
A citrus spiral is just a fun cocktail garnish to finish off a cocktail like a Lemon Drop. It looks nice and although it won’t give off too much flavor, it compliments the flavors found in the drink and adds to the aroma.
The pop of color and the scent a citrus twist gives a cocktail is so fun! It’s quick and easy to make one and you should consider it for your next happy hour or party.
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Related Recipes
How to Make an Orange Spiral Garnish
Equipment
- 1 Pairing knife
Ingredients
- 1 slice orange
Instructions
- Make a thin slice of citrus. And on one side, cut through the peel with a pairing knife as shown above.
- Cut the peel away from the fruit leaving a little bit of the white attached to the peel.
- Pick up the peel and twist the citrus into a spiral shape.
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